1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a storage device for a vehicle and, in particular, a vehicle bed storage box.
2. Background of the Invention
Vehicles with storage beds, such as pick-up trucks, are tremendously popular due to their utility in transporting large objects for work and recreation. Unfortunately, because the storage bed is typically open, articles stored within the storage bed are exposed to the elements and may be inadvertently lost and/or stolen from the open truck bed. One of the most common items stored in the vehicle storage bed is a tool box.
Such tool boxes have a generally rectangular shape and have a top surface which is horizontal with a handle extending therefrom. This configuration provides ease of transportation and access, and optimizes the interior shape and volume for the storage of large items.
3. Discussion of Known Art
There has been a long felt need for an improved truck bed mounted storage device which is either collapsible or easily removable. However, many of the attempts made to address this need have suffered from one or more flaws.
A recent example of such an attempt is U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,116 to Schreiner. The Schreiner device is a collapsible storage box which attaches to the tailgate of a truck bed. However, this device requires either removal and replacement of the entire tailgate or attachment of the device on top of an existing tailgate, which makes the gate very heavy to use. The Schreiner apparatus also prevents quick sliding of items in or out of the truck bed without first collapsing the storage unit and removing the items stored inside of it.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,200 to Pugh discloses a truck bed storage box which is intended to be removable. However, this device does not fold up and store quickly and easily within the truck bed. Instead, the loose pieces of the box must be either stored in the bed itself or left behind elsewhere outside of the truck, which prevents the box from being replaced in the bed for further use without first returning to the place where the pieces of the box are stored. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,153 to Stark and U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,992 to Hamilton each provide a way to move a storage box back and forth on a truck bed, but neither of these patents discloses a means for folding a storage box; rather, the box must be removed entirely and left behind and stored externally in order to use the entire truck bed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,312 to Kinkel, U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,226 to Heft, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,075 to Canfield all disclose a collapsing truck bed storage box which is used adjacent to the truck bed tailgate. These devices thus prevent use of the tailgate when the box is deployed. Items cannot be easily slid in and out of the truck bed without removal of the storage device itself and the items stored within it. All of these devices also fold onto the truck bed when not in use, which interferes with the storage of items in the truck bed and exposes the panels of these devices to bending or crushing when heavy loads are being hauled by the truck. Finally, the Canfield device has an angled orientation when deployed, which is not optimal for storing items inside of it.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,773 to Chapline discloses a folding truck bed box which permits full use of the tailgate. However, part of the box folds onto the bed which is troublesome for the hauling of heavy loads for the reasons outlined above.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,764,615 to Edwards discloses a truck body partition which can be used to section off a portion of the truck bed. However, this device does not enclose a storage area and thus it leaves items exposed when in use. Furthermore, the Edwards device, when rotated into the storage position, prevents easy removal of items up and out of the truck bed.
Wind deflectors are also known in the art. Wind deflectors are mounted at the rear of the vehicle bed to reduce drag on the vehicle due to the tailgate. U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,589 to Felker discloses a wind deflector which assumes an angled orientation when deployed. In addition to not being intended as a storage device, the angled orientation is inefficient for storing items. Installation of the Felker device requires modifications of either the existing bed surface or a modification of the tailgate, neither of which are desirable to a user of any bed storage device. Finally, in at least one embodiment of the Felker device, it folds flat onto the truck bed surface itself, and in this position the panels of the device could be bent or crushed by heavy loads placed in the truck bed.
One aspect of the present invention is an improved collapsing storage device for use in a vehicle bed.
Another aspect of the invention is a storage device which is quickly and easily collapsed and/or deployed by the user, and which in the collapsed state leaves substantially the entire vehicle bed available for use without obstruction.
Desirably, another aspect of the invention is a collapsing storage device which may be installed without removing or substantially modifying any part of the vehicle bed.
Advantageously, one aspect of the invention is an apparatus for cooperating with existing walls surrounding a vehicle storage bed to form an enclosed container. Desirably, the container is collapsible to permit substantially the entire vehicle bed to be used for transportation of large objects when the storage box is not in use.
One aspect of the invention is a storage apparatus including a first panel and a second panel. The first panel is rotatably secured to an existing wall surrounding the storage bed, and the second panel is rotatably secured to an opposite end of the first panel. The panels may be rotatably secured by hinges. The storage apparatus has a deployed or storage position wherein a first surface of the first panel extends upward and a first surface of the second panel extends outward from the existing vehicle bed panel to which the first panel is rotatably secured. The apparatus also has a retracted or folded away position in which the first surface of the second panel is positioned facing and adjacent the existing wall of the vehicle and the first surface of the first panel extends upright and outward from the such existing wall of the vehicle.
Advantageously, a first interlock portion and a second interlock portion are provided for locking the first and the second panel folded together to facilitate easier deployment and/or retraction of the apparatus.
The storage apparatus may utilize one or more tracks which cooperate with track followers extending from the second panel to facilitate movement of the storage apparatus between the deployed position and the folded position.
Another aspect of the present invention is a collapsible vehicle bed storage assembly mountable on a vehicle having a generally horizontal storage bed surrounded by a front wall, a first sidewall, a second sidewall and a back wall. The assembly comprises a first panel having an outer face and inner face, a first end, a second end, a first side and a second side, the first end of the first panel being secured to one of the walls so as to be rotatable about a generally horizontal axis. The assembly also has a second panel having an outer face, an inner face, a first end, a second end, a first side, and a second side, the first end of the second panel being secured to the second end of the first panel so as to be rotatable about a generally horizontal axis. The first panel and the second panel are locked in a folded-together orientation wherein the inner face of the second panel faces the inner face of the first panel, and the assembly is freely rotatable about the first end of the first panel, while the first panel and the second panel remain locked in that orientation.
Still another aspect of the present invention is a collapsible vehicle bed storage assembly mountable on a vehicle having a generally horizontal storage bed surrounded by a front wall, a first sidewall, a second sidewall and a back wall. The assembly comprises a first panel having an outer face and inner face, a first end, a second end, a first side and a second side, the first end of the first panel being secured to one of the walls so as to be rotatable about a generally horizontal axis. The assembly also has a second panel having an outer face, an inner face, a first end, a second end, a first side, and a second side, the first end of the second being panel secured to the second end of the second panel so as to be rotatable about a generally horizontal axis. Also included is at least one track mounted in the vehicle storage bed on one side of the assembly and at least one track follower mounted on the corresponding side of the second panel, the track and the follower cooperating to control the deployment of the assembly. The assembly has a collapsed position in which the first panel and the second panel are generally vertical and the inner face of the first panel and the inner face of the second panel face one another, and a deployed position in which the first panel is generally horizontal and the second panel is generally vertical, the outer face of the first panel facing outward away from the storage bed and the outer face of the second panel facing outward away from the front wall.
The present invention also encompasses a method for enclosing a volume of a vehicle bed having a generally horizontal storage bed surrounded by a front wall, a first sidewall, a second sidewall and a back wall, the method comprising the steps of: (1) rotating an assembly comprising a first panel and a second panel folded together, the first panel being rotatably secured to one of the walls at a first end of the first panel, the second panel being rotatably secured to a second end of the first panel opposite the first end, from a vertical position; (2) rotating the second panel away from the first panel so that the first panel and the second panel are no longer folded together; and (3) placing an end of the second panel against the vehicle bed with the second panel in a substantially vertical position and the first panel in a substantially horizontal position.